Recently, I asked Wranglers General Manager Kevin Schwartz a few questions, here's his answers... (Blog note: I posted these questions to Kevin in late January and he responded promptly within a few days. I chose to post his blog interview later, so if his answers seem a bit "dated," I the blog editor take full responsibility. )Question: What was your season highlight for the Wranglers?
Kevin's Answer: "At this point in the season, I do have a clear cut highlight, as do most fans and other Wranglers staff. It is of course, our overtime win over Tri-Cities. This was only the second weekend of the season and with a record of 1-3-0 the idea of a much better season seemed realistic. I hope that as we finish the season out, we can at least have a game or a moment that will top that win as my new highlight."
Question: What were your challenges for this past season?
Kevin's answer: "We had several challenges this season. Some were obvious to the viewing public and some not so obvious. The first struggle we encountered was the absence of 7 of our 9 tendered players at our training camp. These were players that we had put a lot of effort into recruiting and were confident in signing. We considered each of these players to be among our top ten on our pre-season depth chart. More than a few of them would have been impact players in this league. From there, the struggle with losing games and subsequent player behavior began. We now have a young team with almost no previous junior experience. But I believe that we have all the right guys here at this point. They are talented, they play to win, they are here for all the right reasons and they are developing quickly. We are clearly in a building year where we are counting on our core group of young rookies to return next season as veterans. As of late, this group has been seeing more ice time than before which translates to quicker development. The challenge at this point, will be to finish the season with a few more victories than last, and to keep our current players healthy and happy and wanting to come back. We have had many other minor challenges such as finding host families for our ever-revolving roster. So if you're out there and thinking about hosting please don't be shy."
Question: What do you see for the Wranglers next year?
Question: What do you see for the Wranglers next year?
Kevin's answer: "Next season I truly see the Wranglers building on their "0ff-ice" success thus far and adding to the equation, their first competitive season on the ice. Looking around the league; it takes the average team around 3 seasons to become successful in the win-loss column. There are of course exceptions but River City, Puget Sound, and Yellowstone started their tenures in NORPAC with Wrangler like results. We have been hard on the recruiting trail since mid-November this season, as opposed to March last season. We already have some very promising prospects on the line, including our number one tender from last year, who decided to play another season of midget AAA this season. Despite our losing record, players are returning home with positive things to say about playing hockey in the Rogue Valley. As a result, our name is getting out there and quality players are beginning to contact us with questions about the program. Back to the question: I predict the Wranglers will post a season with no more than a .025 deviation from .500. BOLD, I know."
Question: Are you going to be making any changes for the Wranglers next year?
Question: Are you going to be making any changes for the Wranglers next year?
Kevin's answer: "Are we going to change anything for next season? Well, if absolutely everything stayed exactly the same, next season would probably look a lot like this one. We don't want that.. So yes, there will certainly be some changes. Just don't read too far into that. There will be some structural changes within the organization to create smoother operation all around. There are also many things which are undecided at this point. The best way to keep up with any major changes and all Wranglers happenings is to visit the website regularly at http://www.roguevalleywranglers.com/."
Question: Anything else you'd like to comment on?
Question: Anything else you'd like to comment on?
Kevin's answer: "I would like to thank all of the dedicated Wranglers fans for sticking through another tough season with us. Whether you're a parent to a player, an online listener, or a die hard fan; your support of the Wranglers has earned the Valley a great reputation in the junior hockey community. I promise your dedication will be rewarded with a winning record and a trip to the post season in the not so distant future."
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"On a separate note. On a blog such as this one, there are bound to be naysayers and everyone is entitled to their opinion. It is easy to be a Monday morning Quarterback when you are on the outside looking in. I can assure everyone that we have always tried to make the best decisions for the players and for the business, within our means. Running a Junior Hockey team is no easy task, teams do not have the resources to staff personnel in all areas like you see in the pros. The management of the entire team and the business lies on the shoulders of only a few individuals. As I mentioned before, success at this level tends to grow with experience. I believe we have learned things these past two seasons which will surely aid in our rise to success as an organization."
"Thanks for allowing the Wranglers to have a voice on the blog."
